Buenos Aires with children

Steak, soccer, tango and…toddlers? Surprisingly, Buenos Aires is a great city for kids – there are activities galore, child-friendly eateries and lots of parks to explore. Best of all, porteños adore children, and with these natural ice-breakers in tow, you’ll probably meet more locals than you would otherwise. Here are a few tips to make traveling with los niños enjoyable.

Out and about

• On weekends, Palermo’s parks bustle with families taking walks, picnicking and playing sports. Rent bikes, boats and in-line skates at Parque 3 de Febrero, which is partially closed to traffic on weekends. The park is also home to Planetario Galileo Galilei, where you can catch an astronomy show.

• Museums for kids include the aptly named Museo de los Niños, the puppet museum (Museo Argentino del Títere) and the Museo Participativo de Ciencias, an interactive science museum.

• Older kids, especially those with a macabre streak, will love wandering among the ornate mausoleums at the Cementerio de la Recoleta.

Where to count sheep

The following hotels all have multi-room suites or apartments with kitchenettes, which make them great choices for families:

• Art Suites

• Bohemia Buenos Aires Hotel

• Fiamingo Apart Hotel

• Hotel Lyon

Great eats for the whole family

• Whether or not a children's menu is offered, most cafes and restaurants welcome children and offer freshly squeezed juices, hot chocolate and simple, kid-friendly foods like pizza and spaghetti.

• All-you-can-eat restaurants offer lots of choices; try Grants or Siga La Vaca.

• Cumaná is great for empanadas and pizzas.

• La Payuca – this grill restaurant has a babysitter-manned playroom.

• Save room for an helado – BA’s ice cream rivals Rome’s. Freddo and Persicco both have multiple branches.

Tips

• BA’s crowded and uneven sidewalks are difficult to manage with a stroller – consider a baby carrier instead.

• Always carry toilet paper and wet wipes. Public bathrooms are often poorly maintained.

This article was refreshed in April 2019.

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